As he inches towards his 76 birthday and closing chapters of his great career, Mr. Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, aka Charly Boy, also known as Area Fada, a Nigerian singer-songwriter, television presenter, actor and activist, sits with culture journalists to discuss his forthcoming book.

Come July 2026, the maverick showbiz maestro will unveil his new work, 999. The eyes of the world will descend on him as he closes this chapter and opens another.

From childhood, Area Fada has been a vocal advocate for justice and good governance in Nigeria. This is what he has put together in this book, which is coming nine years after the release of his first, titled, My Private Part: a play on words.

This new book, 999, is not just a memoir, but Charly Boy cracks open the vault of a life lived louder than the society that tried to mute him. It is more in-depth story of himself with no cover-ups or hypocrisy.

Written with street-poetry honesty, the book traces a boy who shared toys with chauffeurs’ children, a teenager who read forbidden books and didn’t go mad, a TV shock-jock who weaponised laughter, and an activist who still collects ‘dues’ for the voiceless.

Through prostate battles, boardroom wars, father-son silences and national protests, 999 asks what truly finishes us—failure, or the fear of finishing? Raw, riveting and revolutionary, this is the memoir Nigeria never saw coming—and the mirror every generation needs to hold up to itself.

Known for his quality and perfectionist approach to every project he undertakes, Charly Boy has painstakingly put together a breathtaking compilation of some of his most compelling and defining experiences in life.

“And from the look of the book, to the contents and layout of the pages, you can tell that I really took my time. In terms of contents ranging from way back in my early days to the present, this one is way different. People are going to be very amazed at the kind of challenges I have faced in my life and how I survived them,” he confesses.

According to him, the essence of the book is that for anybody who reads it, they can relate to it “because a little bit of every one of us is in this book. The experiences I went through are not alien to anybody.”

Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote the foreword to the book, including Bishop Hassan Kukah and Dele Famoroti.

“When I titled my book 999, some people asked if it was a code or I meant 666. What I really meant to say from the go is that 999 means the beginning of a new era. So, if you know me in the past, when I fight I must hold weapon and I must draw blood. But, now I have calmed down and old things shall pass away,” he says.

He had written: “Google defines the figure ‘999’ as an angelic number and a dawn of new beginnings. It’s a red alert signal that you’re about to read the unapologetic truth about the self-styled President of all Frustrated Nigerians.

“This book is not a biography. It’s a battleground. The Ugly, the Bad and the very Good. It’s a collection of live experiences that would make even the boldest screenwriters cringe.”

Charly Boy wittily recalls his past misdemeanuors, rascality and stubbornness while growing up and studying in America.

When asked why he felt he needed to do the book, the Area Fada responded candidly, “I wanted people to learn from what I have been through. I think a lot of people will learn a great deal from my various experiences when they read 999 because it’s basically a reflection of what you, myself and the next person have been through in life. It doesn’t matter whether you come from a privileged home, like I did, because I am an ‘Aje’ butter through and through but yet ran into all manner of troubles. When I got to the United States, for instance, I got myself involved into all kinds of things such as drugs, credit card scam and the sort. Everything is contained in 999. I need people to take out some of the positives from my experiences, apply them and put them to good use. So, a lot these aspects of my life the public didn’t know about are contained in the books.”
He says, “America opened my eyes to racism.”

He adds,“I’ve come a long way. I have been into all manners of crime including shop-lifting, marrying multiple women, substance and drug abuse. But, I discovered early the dangers of drug especially, because I realised what drugs have done to other people. All these experiences were what I went through as a young man. If you’re 24, you can’t be thinking like a 70 -year-old man. It’s not possible. You think like a 24 -year- old and behave like a 24-year- old. So, those were all the wildlife in my youthful days and they are all captured in the book.

“All these I poured out in my book. I also talked about how activism started, even though I don’t like to be called an activist because some people have messed up activism. So, I like to be called a social engineer, not an activist.

The book also reflects some aspects of my journey as PMAN president. But, I think the whole essence of this book is that for anybody who reads it, they can relate to it because a little bit of every one of us is in this book. The experiences I went through are not alien to anybody.”

In spite of all this, he believes strongly in hard work, consistency, tenacity and audacity. “I hate to be told what to do even as a young man in my 20s,” he insists.

Born June 19, 1950, is the son of renowned former Supreme Court Justice Chukwudifu Oputa. He was the host of the popular “The Charly Boy Show,” a judge for the talent hunt show “Nigeria Idol” in 2011, and a former president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN). He has been married to African-American singer and former fashion designer Diane for over 40 years, with children from past relationships.

In the 1990s, Charly Boy’s most popular television series was The Charly Boy Show, a weekly sketch/variety show with political undertones, which featured music, comedy, and celebrity appearances.

Among the cast were Charly Boy’s wife Diane Oputa, actresses Stella Damasus and Mercy Oyebo, singing duo Tunde and Wunmi Obe and actor Patrick Doyle.

Also, his Zoom Time featured politicians who in the cause of the programme pretended to ride an imaginary motorbike while imitating the sound of its exhaust pipe zoom, zoom, zoom.

“And I’m proud to say this anywhere, anytime. When I now moved on to Zoom Time, it was like people were not getting it. Nigerians were too slow. In fact, one of the problems my father had was he felt nobody was going to understand the concept,” he reveals.

“The fact is that I could talk to any of the presidents or anybody I wanted to talk to. And I did not only speak to them, we went under the guise of we are doing PR for them.

But, the fee was nothing less than 16 million naira to talk on Charlie Boy Show. And at that time, when TV has not hit us, those were the kind of money I was making per interview. I’m not today’s person. And that’s why this book is important. A lot of people cannot relate with what I did in my earlier years.”

According to the Septuagenarian, who recently survived a prostate operation, the book also chronicles his journey throughout the trying period and offers crucial advice to men.

From national fame to private pain, including his current battle with prostate disease and erectile dysfunction, nothing in the book, 999, is off-limits. Because in sharing his struggle, he hopes to permit others to heal. Now, he’s channelling that same energy into a mission: “Men’s health. Men’s truth. Men’s wellness,” he admits.

The Area Fada says, “it’s time we stopped pretending and start living fully. 999 is not just a memoir. It’s a challenge. A confession. A revolution. And above all, Charles Emeka Oputa’s truth. Coming soon. Buckle up.”

On person he will never forget in life is Tina Onwudiwe. The lady, popularly known as African Oyinbo, brought him from the village to Lagos. “When I was planning to relocate from the village, Tina Onwudiwe said if I didn’t leave the village, I was going to die.

She brought me to Lagos. In fact, she paid for my flight to Lagos and also paid two years house rent for me at Gbagada, Lagos,” he admits.

“It’s unfortunate that the book I’ve done, the craziness of it all, and why it stands out is not because I’m telling my story. But, the way, the look and feel of the book, how I was able to put things together was outstanding.”

He says, “it’s unfortunate that the reading culture has gone so low, and that’s why I was trying to make it an easy read. So, readers don’t get bored or get tired, and the stories are exciting anyway. And because of this same piracy issue, that’s why the e-copy is not out.”